Interpol

Our Love to Admire

(Capitol)

Record Review by Adam McKibbin

On their third full-length, Interpol eviscerate the backlash buzzards who predicted the band would be tainted by its new major label or finally exposed as a one-trick, post-punk pony. For starters, reinvention is overrated; Radiohead did it, but so did Liz Phair.

Interpol's progression has unfolded slowly and organically. As a consequence, numerous moments on Our Love to Admire trace a direct lineage to its two predecessors, perhaps most overtly on the angular, peppy lead single "The Heinrich Maneuver." Singer Paul Banks, guitarist Daniel Kessler and bassist Carlos D have each developed a signature sound—there aren't many bands that can lay a similar claim—and when they fuse, the result is urbane, uneasy and compelling.

The brasher, arena-sized songs should lead to the repeat listens necessary to soak up slow-burners like "Pace Is the Trick" and the glacial closer "The Lighthouse." Based on title alone, "No I in Threesome" looks like it fell off a track listing from Fall Out Boy—except the song actually is about threesomes, and Banks rather brilliantly plays it straight, passionately singing lines with not-so-hidden agendas ("There are days in this life / When you see the teeth marks of time" leads to "Babe, it's time we give something new a try").

"Pioneer to the Falls" continues the Interpol tradition of enticingly atmospheric openers, while the slow strut of "Rest My Chemistry" bears all the marks of a band at the top of their game, secure in their strengths and adding to their arsenal.

This review originally appeared on ARTISTdirect